BYU basketball: Monday games are 'interesting' for Cougars

SAN DIEGO — Following a 95-78 home victory Saturday over Santa Clara, BYU coaches and players were in a hurry to catch a flight.

The Cougars boarded a plane bound for California Saturday night so they could spend Sunday in San Diego in advance of their game Monday (8 p.m., MST, BYUtv) against the University of San Diego.

Playing on Mondays is somewhat of a challenging situation for BYU, since the Cougars do not practice on Sundays, as per school policy.

"We're going to church and a fireside," coach Dave Rose said Saturday night about his team's Sunday schedule. "We'll be able to relax on Sunday and get ready for Monday."

As he left the interview room, Rose lightheartedly recited (no, he didn't sing) an LDS Primary song: "Saturday is a special day. It's the day we get ready for Sunday."

Rose pointed out that his team hasn't played on a Monday in about two years, when the Cougars defeated Arizona in Tucson, 99-69, on the strength of Jimmer Fredette's 49-point outburst.

Because the Cougars don't practice on Sundays, Monday games are "interesting for us as far as our preparation is concerned," Rose said.

"It's a quick turnaround," said senior forward Noah Hartsock. "We've got to prepare for this more mentally than out there on the court. I know the coaches will put together a great game plan for us. It's kind of a new thing to play one day, have a day off, then play again. But I think we're adapting to it well."

The quirky West Coast Conference schedule has BYU facing the same San Diego team that it beat a little more than two weeks ago, on New Year's Eve in Provo, 88-52.

The Toreros shot just 23 percent from the floor in that game. Freshman guard Johnny Dee, who averages a team-high 15.2 points per game, was held to two points, and an 0-for-7 shooting performance. On the season, Dee has had six games where he has scored at least 22 points.

Meanwhile, the Cougars' Brandon Davies scored 22 points and grabbed 21 rebounds in that Dec. 31 contest.

After falling to BYU, San Diego lost to Saint Mary's and Loyola Marymount. Then, last Thursday, the Toreros snapped their six-game losing streak and earned their first WCC victory with a 75-62 decision over Santa Clara.

"We played San Diego once before and they didn't shoot the ball particularly well," Rose said. "They've played really well of late. We'll have to get in the gym on Monday, and have a pretty detailed shootaround and then get ready to play Monday night."